Teaming Skills for Success
Donald Heer
Adapted from Terri Fiez, Director,
School of EECS
1
Outline
Why Teams?
Life Cycles of Teams
2
Why Teams?
3
Teams Can Outperform Individuals
Complex tasks
Creativity needed
Path forward unclear
More efficient use of resources needed
Fast learning required
Task/process cross functional
4
Learning from the Geese
Analogy
When each bird flaps its wings, it creates an
uplift for the bird immediately following. By
flying in a V formation, the whole flock adds at
least 71% greater flying range than if each
bird flew alone.
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Goose Falls Out of Formation
When goose falls out to seek more favorable
conditions  rest of flock leaves space open
as encouragement.
If a more favorable conditions are found, flock
reforms around the “loner”.
If not, the flock slows its pace to allow the
“loner” back into position.
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“Loner” Stays Out
No effort is made to return, flock closes
ranks.
Loner either tires from drag/resistance
and tag onto end of “V” or will be lost to
flock.
7
Goose Rotation
When a goose gets tired, it rotates back
in the flock and another goose takes
over the point.
Geese honk from behind to encourage
those in front to keep up their speed.
Honk, honk
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Sick/Wounded Goose
Two other geese fall out to follow and
protect sick/wounded goose.
Stay with goose until recovers or can
not longer continue.
Then launch out on their own or with
another formation to catch up with their
flock.
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Life-Cycles of Teams
Four Stages Teams go through

Each stage (and how it is managed)
impacts the team’s effectiveness
Forming
Performing
Storming
Norming
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Time Life-Cycle
Stage
Characteristics
Forming
Task
Leadership
Style
Testing,
Dependence,
Accommodating
Orientation
Directive;
Expert
Storming
Intra-team conflict,
competing,
differentiating
Organization
Selling,
Encouraging;
coach
Norming
Development of
team cohesion;
mutuality
Reconciliation
Acceptance
Cohesion
Supportive
facilitator (work
with “we”)
Performing
Functional role,
relatedness,
collaborating
Synergistic,
Problem
solving
Delegation
Consultant
(Relationship
Issues)
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Team Life-Cycle: Forming
Feelings
Anxious, excited, fearful,
anticipation
Who are the others?
What’s going to happen?
Will I have an influence?
Will I be accepted?
How will we function?
Behaviors
Polite communications
Leader-dependence
Conformance
Attempts to determine how
to deal with group
problems
Attempts to define the task
and potential solutions
Attempts to determine
acceptable group behavior
“Members of a team want to know that they have a chance of being successful,
And that someone has a plan and enough information to get them off to a good
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Start toward that success.”
Leadership Response to Forming
Leadership Strategy: Get
team Oriented





Stress personal
responsibility for
contributing
interdependently
Stress assisting others &
effective relationships
Positive confrontation
Build trust and role clarity
Provide structure, specificity
& next steps
Suggested Tactics
Initiate introduction
Clarify task/goals & product or
services
Define general operating
procedures
Make assignments
State & give examples of your
expectations
Set expectations that integrate
with the work, NOT add to it
Reward conformity
Organize the group
Solicit questions & give as much
information as necessary to get
everyone oriented
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Team Life-Cycle: Storming
Feelings
Why should I conform?
I don’t want to take personal
responsibility
I’d rather just keep doing the
things I’m confortable
doing…Status quo
Resistance to change
Self-centeredness & selfinterest
Behaviors
Arguing, positioning
Counterdependence &
independence
Challenge authority of
leadership
Criticizing
Comparing
Complaining
Competing
Style differences clash,
especially on the diagonal
Attempt to differentiate from
the group & create autonomy
Defensiveness
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Leadership Response to
Storming Stage
Leadership Strategy:
organize, coach, &
encourage




Accept storming behaviors
as natural
Help members establish
their autonomy &
individualism
Coach in problem solving &
conflict resolution that uses
team goals as the
denominator
Strive to get team members
to commit to each others
success
Suggested Tactics
Solicit issues
Confront individual & team issues
Listen, reason & negotiate (winwin)
Use a consistent model for
problem solving
Use goals as the basis for
solutions
Ensure operating structure &
principles are understood
Give members encouragement
one-to-one or privately
Clarify roles & contributions of
respective members
Coach & model desired approach
to problem solving &
collaboration
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Team Life-cycle: Norming
Feelings
Sustained optimism
Sense of common purpose
Sense of achievement
Behaviors
Conflict avoidance
Leader-dependence change
to member-dependence
Procedures imposed
internally
Mutually established
Acceptance of team
membership
Constructive criticism
Peacekeeping
Collaboration
Ownership of task
Norms & principles are
adhered to & monitored
“Once they’ve got their issues addressed and their roles clear, they need
Opportunities to go to work—collaboratively—and have a few successes.” 16
Leadership Response to Norming
Leadership Strategy:
facilitate the work & continue
building




Create & facilitate team
efforts where appropriate
Move toward greater
participation & team
operation of the work
Foster & reward
collaboration
Strengthen relationships
Suggested Tactics:
Create opportunities for
collaboration & success
Reward collaboration
Acknowledge in private the
growth & efforts of individuals
Solicit ideas from the team
Share decision making as
appropriate
Create opportunities for dialogue
Keep activities in the context of
the work
Employ mehtodologies that
safely force participation &
contribution
Pull team into participation in
assessing the team’s
effectiveness & making
improvements
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Team Life-Cycle: Performing
Feelings




Personal commitment to
each other
High trust, regard, &
respect
Ownership of goals &
role
Synergy, pride &
gratitude
Behaviors






Support & assistance to
each other
High dependability
Heightened productivity
Excellent role execution
Effective management of
controversy & conflict
Balanced task &
relationship concerns
“…Then, get out of the way. An effective targeted team doesn’t
Need a leader meddling in the work; they need a leader who is out ahead
Of them removing barriers, garnering support, touting their
Achievements, and verifying the strategic direction.”
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Leadership Response to
Performing Stage
Leadership Strategy:
Provide organization aircover & be a consultant to
the team





Hand-off more of the
ownership & operations to
the team
Maintain effectiveness &
productivity of the team
Provide organization “aircover”
Act as consultant on major
issues
Promote the team’s
capabilities & achievements
Suggested Tactics








Delegation
Create opportunities for team
to dialogue
Share leadership
Effective use of team
members’ compensating
strengths & expertise to your
own
Eliminate impending barriers
for the team
Obtain support & resource for
the team
Publicize team’s
accomplishments
Periodic reality checks of
strategic directions/efforts
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Exercise
Get into team
Discuss what stage your group is in for
team formation
 Discuss issues that prevent you from
moving on to the next stage

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